A fleet of 16 dredging vessels owned and operated by CCCC Dredging Company (CDC), to be deployed in support of China’s port and infrastructure-building One Belt One Road Initiative, are to be fitted with Cobham SATCOM maritime antenna systems as part of a VSAT implementation project.

Rolls-Royce reports that it has signed a new agreement with Associated British Ports (ABP) and global towage operator Svitzer, part of the Maersk Group, to develop a range of digitisation and ship intelligence systems for use in port operations.

NYK, and its Group companies MTI, Keihin Dock Co, and Japan Marine Science (JMS), have announced their participation in a demonstration project being carried out by Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transportation and Tourism (MLIT) to demonstrate remote operation of an unmanned ship.

A.P. Moller-Maersk and IBM have announced the launch of their new blockchain venture TradeLens, following on from the companies’ January announcement of their intention to work together to leverage blockchain technologies to improve the efficiency of the global supply chain.

Korean shipbuilder Samsung Heavy Industries has announced a deal to make Amazon Web Services (AWS) its preferred Cloud services provider as it continues development of its smart ship and autonomous vessel programmes.

Wilhelmsen Ships Service reports that it has been selected to join a Singaporean government project to develop the future Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) regulatory framework for the city-state, and will receive dedicated funding for its proposed shore-to-ship delivery system as part of the programme.

Arcadia Shipmanagement has agreed a deal with class society ABS’ Advanced Solutions division to implement an Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) programme to assist in the management of its 15 tanker fleet.

ChartCo has announced the launch of a new e-navigation and compliance platform called OneOcean, incorporating data from its existing environmental management systems to help crew plan the handling of waste and minimise the risk of a faulty discharge, as well as integrating its passage planning and document management applications.

Dubai-based satellite services provider North Telecom has entered into a partnership agreement with Korean antenna manufacturer KNS, under which the companies will offer each other mutual support in building market share in the maritime communications sector.